Anti-noise and splash screen for a toilet



Oct. 19, 1965 o, STEVENS 3,212,104

ANTI-NOISE AND SPLASH SCREEN FOR A TOILET Filed Aug. 2, 1963 INVENTOR Q. 0. ST EV EN 3 BY W? United States Patent 3,212,104 ANTI-NOISE AND SPLASH SCREEN FOR A TOILET Quinn 0. Stevens, Box 4954, Oklahoma City, Okla. Filed Aug. 2, 1963, Ser. No. 299,533 3 Claims. (Cl. 4-1) This invention relates to a screen installed in the bowl of a toilet to prevent noise and splash when the toilet is used as a male urinal.

It is common practice that the seat of a toilet be raised and leaned back out of the way when the toilet is being used as a male urinal. The screen referred to in this invention will work automatically by raising and lowering the seat. When the seat is in a vertical position, the screen is in a near horizontal position, and when the seat is in a sitting or horizontal position, the screen is automatically placed in a near vertical position which is out of the way when other matter is being deposited in the bowl of the toilet.

When a toilet is being used as a male urinal there is a loud and sometimes embarrassing noise made by the urine when it contacts the water level of the bowl. By having a screen available so the urine contacts the screen before it contacts the water, practically all the noise is eliminated.

When a toilet is being used as a male urinal there is a splash which is not confined to the area of the cavity of the bowl. This splash causes unsanitary-and unpleasant odors around the area where the toilet is installed. By having a screen available so the urine contacts the screen before it contacts the water, practically all the splash is eliminated.

It is a common practice to try and avoid the splash and noise of the urine by directing it towards the side of the cavity of the bowl. This can be accomplished by some people while urinating in some toilets. However, regardless of how eflicient the person, or how fine the design of the bowl of the toilet, there is still some noise and splash.

It is an object of this invention to supply a screen which can be installed in any toilet which will practically eliminate all noise and splash when the toilet is being used as a male urinal and still not be an obstruction when the toilet is being used for other purposes.

Additional objects, benefits and advantages of this invention will become evident from a study of the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing, in which:

FIGURES l, 2, 3 and 4 are all cross sectional views of the screen.

FIGURE 1 is a cross sectional view from back to front of a toilet or closet bowl with the seat down and the screen in a near vertical position.

FIGURE 2 is a cross sectional view from back to front of a toilet or closet bowl with the seat in a raised position and the screen in a near horizontal position ready for use.

FIGURE 3 is a cross sectional view of a toilet or closet bowl from side to side showing the seat down and the screen in a near vertical position and out of the way while other matter is being deposited in the bowl.

FIGURE 4 is a cross sectional view from side to side of a toilet or closet bowl with the seat up and the screen in a near horizontal position ready for use.

Referring now specifically to the drawing, a screen 8 is installed in the bowl 11 of a toilet to act as a prevention of noise and splash when toilet is being used as a male urinal while urinating. The screen 3 is mounted between two spaced support straps 3, which straps 3 are rigidly attached to a hinge bolt 12 of a toilet seat 13 by one or more set screws 9. Each of the straps 3 is 3,212,104 Patented Oct. 19, 1965 ice provided at their lower ends with an eye 7 which is sized to receive hinge pin or pins 14 of the screen 8. The eyes 7 and pins 14 are constructed to act freely and not bind the screen 8 when being actuated by seat 13. The back or rear of the screen has a loop 6 which is bent slightly in an upward position so as to properly receive a push rod 2. The push rod 2 is an elongated member which has an eye or loop 15 in the end towards the seat 13. An adjustable stop 4 is attached to the lower or opposite end portion of the push rod 2 by set screw 5. The loop 15 of the push rod 2 is connected to eye screw 1 which is screwed into seat 13. The two eyes or loops, 1 and 15, form a hinge which is necessary for operation of the screen 8.

Support straps 3 are constructed of a material which will enable them to be shortened or adjusted to the proper height above the water level 10. The stop 4, which is attached to the push rod 2 and held in place by the set screw 5, is adjustable in order to coordinate the push action of rod 2 with the screen 8. The push rod 2 extends through the loop 6 of the screen 8 and the stop 4 which is engageable with the loop 6 and is disposed on the rod 2 above the loop.

A stopping device 16 is attached to screen 8. As illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 4, the stopping device 16 is generally L-shaped having one end connected with the screen 8 and having the free end arranged to engage one of the support straps 3 when the seat 13 is up and screen 8 is in a near horizontal position.

As previously mentioned and as shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, the screen 8 is lifted to a substantially vertical position when the seat 13 is lowered. It can be seen that, during the lowering of the seat 13, the eye screw 1 will move with the seat 13 forcing the push rod 2 downwardly. The push rod 2 moves downwardly through the opening formed by the loop 6 until the stop 4 contacts the loop 6. Additional downward movement of the push rod 2 with the seat 13, forces the loop 6 and the attached screen 8 to pivot about the hinge 7 until the end of travel of the push rod 2 has been reached.

It should be pointed out that the stop 4 is adjustable on the push rod 2 to control the raised position of the screen 8. Preferably, the screen 8, is positioned as shown in FIG. 1, i.e., with the screen 8 at a slight angle to vertical.

To move the screen 8 into the horizontal position as shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, the seat 13 is raised. Raising the seat 13 lifts the eye Screw 1 and the attached push rod 2 thereby moving the stop 4 in a direction relatively away from the loop 6. As previously described, the screen 8 is at a slight angle to vertical and, therefore, gravitates downwardly pivoting about the hinge 7 as the stop 4 is lifted. The stopping device 16 engages one of the support straps 3 to arrest the movement of the screen 8 when the screen has reached the horizontal position.

While this invention has been described with particular reference to the construction shown in the drawing and while various changes may be made in the detail construction, it shall be understood that such changes shall be within the spirit and scope of the present invention as defined by the appended claims.

Having thus completely and fully described the invention, what is now claimed as new and desired to be protected by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. An anti-splash and anti-noise apparatus for a toilet having a toilet bowl, a seat hinge pin mounted thereon, and a seat pivotally supported by the hinge pin, said apparatus comprising:

a pair of spaced support members extending into the toilet bowl and each support member having an upper end attached to the seat hinge pin, and a lower end forming an aperture;

a screen disposed in the toilet bowl relatively close to the surface of the water contained therein and said screen including a screen member sized to cover substantially the surface of the Water,

hinge means operably connected to said screen member, and with said support members,

a stop member on said screen arranged to engage one of said support members when said screen is in a substantially horizontal position, and

a loop member extending from the end of said screen member adjacent said hinge means; and,

means pivotally connected with the seat and engageable with said loop member for moving said screen from a horizontal position to a substantially vertical position when the seat is moved from a vertical position to a horizontal position.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said means moving said screen includes:

a push rod member having an upper end pivotally connected with the seat,

and

a lower end extending through said loop member;

and,

a stop member adjustably mounted on said push rod member above said loop member and sized to engage said loop member whereby downward movement of the seat and said rod member pivots said screen relatively upwardly about the hinge means to a substantially vertical position.

3. An anti-splash and anti-noise apparatus for a toilet having a toilet bowl, a seat hinge pin mounted thereon, and a seat pivotally supported by the hinge pin, said apparatus comprising:

a pair of spaced, adjustable support members extending into the toilet bowl, each support member having an arcuate upper end rigidly attached to the seat hinge pin, and

a lower end forming an aperture;

a screen disposed in the toilet bowl relatively close to the surface of the water contained therein, said screen including a screen member sized to cover the surface of the water,

a cylindrical hinge member attached to the screen member and projecting from each side of said screen member into the apertures in said support members whereby said screen can rotate relative to said support members,

an arcuate loop member attached to said hinge member attached to said hinge member and extending in a direction relatively opposite to said screen member, and

a stop device attached to said screen member arranged to engage one of said support members when said screen is in a horizontal position; an eye screw attached to the seat; an elongated push rod member having an upper end pivotally connected with said eye screw, and

a lower end extending through said arcuate loop member; and,

a stop member adjustably attached to the lower end of said push rod member above said loop member and sized to engage said loop member, whereby downward movement of the seat causes said stop member to engage said arcuate loop member rotating said screen into a substantially vertical position.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,598,543 5/52 Hoffman et al. 4257 2,617,996 11/52 Hoffman et al. 4257 2,931,047 4/60 Stebbins 41 LEWIS J. LENNY, Primary Examiner.

EDWARD V. BENHAM, Examiner. 

1. AN ANTI-SPLASH AND ANTI-NOISE APPARATUS FOR A TOILET HAVING A TOILET BOWL, A SEAT HINGE PIN MOUNTED THEREON, AND A SEAT PIVOTALLY SUPPORTED BY THE HINGE PIN, SAID APPARATUS COMPRISING: A PAIR OF SPACED SUPPORT MEMBERS ECTENDING INTO THE TOILET BOWL AND EACH SUPPORT MEMBER HAVING AN UPPER END ATTACHED TO THE SEAT HINGE PIN, AND A LOWER END FORMING AN APERTURE; A SCREEN DISPOSED IN THE TOILET BOWL RELATIVELY CLOSE TO THE SURFACE OF THE WATER CONTAINED THEREIN AND SAID SCREEN INCLUDING A SCREEN MEMBER SIZED TO COVER SUBSTANTIALLY THE SURFACE OF THE WATER, HINGE MEANS OPERABLY CONNECTED TO SAID SCREEN MEMBER, AND WITH SAID SUPPORT MEMBERS, A STOP MEMBER ON SAID SCREEN ARRANGED TO ENGAGE ONE OF SAID SUPPORT MEMBERS WHEN SAID SCREEN IS IN A SUBSTANTIALLY HORIZONTAL POSITION, AND A LOOP MEMBER EXTENDING FROM THE END OF SAID SCREEN MEMBER ADJACENT SAID HINGE MEANS; AND, MEANS PIVOTALLY CONNECTED WITH THE SEAT AND ENGAGEABLE WITH SAID LOOP MEMBER FOR MOVING SAID SCREEN FROM A HORIZONTAL POSITION TO A SUBSTANTIALLY VERTICAL POSITION WHEN THE SEAT IS MOVED FROM A VERTICAL POSITION TO A HORIZONTAL POSITION. 